The key facts

  • Turo will indicate which Teslas on its platform are equipped with FSD (Supervised); hosts will receive a free one-month FSD trial
  • Tesla reported about 1.7 million paying FSD customers out of more than 10 million vehicles produced; more than 75% of buyers in North America subscribed in Q3
  • The Model 3 and Model Y are the third and fourth most popular cars on Turo this year

Turo will start showing Teslas with FSD on its platform

Car rental service Turo has announced a partnership with Tesla: its marketplace will begin labeling which vehicles are equipped with the Full Self-Driving (Supervised) advanced driver assistance system, or FSD. Hosts who rent out eligible vehicles will receive a free one-month FSD trial. According to TechCrunch, Turo is working with Tesla on direct access to the automaker's API to verify which cars have FSD enabled. Renters will see a warning that they need to monitor the system and be ready to take over at any moment; they will also have access to training material created by Tesla. In their listings, owners will be able to promote their cars as 'Self-Driving.'

Growth in the number of paying FSD users

The announcement came a few days after Tesla disclosed updated figures: about 1.7 million customers worldwide have paid for FSD out of more than 10 million vehicles produced and sold. According to the company, more than 75% of customers who received a vehicle in North America in the third quarter subscribed to FSD — roughly 20% more than in the second quarter. Meanwhile, as TechCrunch notes, Tesla's sales in the US are declining. Tesla has also spent the past year converting some of its showrooms, making FSD the main sales pitch.

Leadership reaction and Turo's position

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said last week that the FSD promotion efforts are working: 'People buy FSD with a car attached to it, not the other way around'. Tesla CFO Vaibhav Taneja said on the earnings call that buyers now come in asking 'can we take a ride with FSD' rather than asking about the Model 3, Model Y, or Cybertruck. For Turo, the partnership should boost models that are already popular with renters: the Model 3 and Model Y rank third and fourth in popularity on the platform this year. Turo CEO Andre Haddad called the integration 'an industry first' and cited the company's research: 55% of Americans are interested in self-driving technology for trips, and among Generation Z, that figure is 71%.

Why it matters

The partnership shows how Tesla is looking for new ways to monetize its software: the FSD subscription is becoming a standalone product promoted even through rentals — especially since only about 1.7 million of more than 10 million owners are paying for it so far. For renters, this is the first mass-market way to try FSD without buying a Tesla, and for car owners on Turo, it is an additional source of income. In practice, renters will get access to the system with mandatory warnings about the need for supervision, while hosts will receive a free one-month FSD trial.